


Jar of Hearts

by ficmuse



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Bittersweet Ending, Chloe Decker Finds Out, Chloe in Peril, Dan and Lucifer Investigate, Deus Sex Machina, F/M, Lucifer Feels, Procedural, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 08:26:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9985247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficmuse/pseuds/ficmuse
Summary: Lucifer and Chloe meet again during a murder investigation. Is there any way for them to find their way back to each other?Set one year after 2x13.Please note: very temporary character death; angst and a bittersweet ending.





	

_Who do you think you are?_  
_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_  
_Collecting your jar of hearts_  
_And tearing love apart_  
_You're gonna catch a cold_  
_From the ice inside your soul_  
_So don't come back for me_  
_Who do you think you are?_

_-Christina Perri_

A year after Lucifer Morningstar disappeared from her life, Chloe saw him again. The coroner pulled open a metal drawer in the morgue. “He hasn’t been processed yet. They just dropped him off about ten minutes ago.”

He pulled out the metal slab, and there was Lucifer. He was very, very dead. He wore only a pair of black leather pants. His eyes were open, but he saw nothing.

“He told me he was immortal,” said Chloe.

"I remember. He said a lot of crazy things. I'm sorry." Dan put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "I know he meant a lot to you."

The coroner held a clipboard. “Detective Espinoza said you were a friend of the deceased. Do you know who would be next of kin? Any family?”

“The closest thing to family was his best friend. Her name is Mazikeen Smith. We’re still in touch. I’ll call her and ask her to come down.”

“That would make my job easier.” The coroner made a note on his clipboard and left the room.

“Dan, can you give me a minute?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“I just want to say goodbye.”

He nodded and she was left alone with Lucifer. With his body, that is. She looked down at him, remembering.

She wanted to remember the good times, the cases closed, his stunning smiles. But it was hard to remember those times. It was easier to recall the pain that came with losing her partner, her best friend and the man she loved, all in the same moment. It had taken a lot of time to uncoil that pain from her heart and set it aside.

She had loved him. She let herself remember just how much. Her heart swelled, and her throat tightened with pain. She placed a palm against his cold, hard cheek.

He was really, truly gone now. Once upon a time, she’d prepared speech after speech in her head for the moment she saw him again. But she would never know now, why he had left. He would never know how badly his desertion had hurt her. It was all over, now.

Tears fell from her eyes. The splashes hit his cheeks. Impossibly, Lucifer blinked.

****

The emergency room was frantic, filled with people rushing around. The sounds of sirens could be heard outside. Lucifer was on a gurney, with Chloe beside him, separated from the rest of the room by a thin curtain. "You're lucky to be alive," said Chloe.

Lucifer didn't respond, just stared at a poster on CPR.

"I need to ask you a few questions." She pulled out her tablet. "The victim. There was no ID found, at the scene. Do you know any identifying information? We are running her fingerprints through AFIS. It would speed up the process if you had additional information."

He continued to ignore her.

"The drug that you had in your system, that the victim had in hers. We have never seen it before. It is highly dangerous. We need to know where it came from. Did the victim obtain it or did you?"

He finally turned to her. "If you want answers, send someone else to ask the questions.”

“Excuse me?”

“Get someone else from Homicide to work with me. Not you. Anyone but you.”

****

Dan met Lucifer in the lobby of his hotel. They went together to the bar, which was empty at ten o’clock in the morning.

“I heard you walked out of the hospital against medical advice.”

“Believe me, I will be fine.” Lucifer lit a cigarette and waved his hand. “Ask your questions, Dan.”

“Can you tell me about your relationship with the deceased?”

“Her real name was Kayla Ann Frost. Her stage name was Kiki DeLane. “

“Actress?”

“Only euphemistically. She worked in the adult entertainment industry. High end escort work; performances in adult films.”

“Do you know who would be her next of kin?”

“She has one brother, Brian Frost. He lives in Florida. Her parents died in a car accident a few years ago; as far as I know, they haven’t spoken since. Her brother did not approve of her career, to say the least.”

“How did the two of you meet?”

“Seven months ago, I got an invitation via email for a private sex club. Her photo was included on the menu, so to speak. I reserved a date with her in particular. Kayla was beautiful, incredibly striking. We spent the night together and had a wonderful time. She wasn’t just gorgeous; she was funny, witty, and extremely well read. She fascinated me. I asked her to meet me again, outside of the club, but she refused. She wouldn’t even give me her real name. I gave her my card. I didn’t expect to hear from her again.”

“But you did?”

“Yes, she called me the next night. She said the sex was too good, that in a sea of men I stood out for her. It flattered my ego, I must admit. We began a relationship of sorts. She refused to travel with me or meet me in another city. She would only spend time with me here, in Los Angeles. Even then, she left every date at three A.M. Once, we were even in the midst of sex, when she pulled away and dressed. She had many iron clad rules, and I could not tempt her to break any of them.”

“So you’ve been together for the last seven months?”

“Yes. I know she had other partners. I wasn’t that naive. But I wanted an exclusive relationship with her. I’ve moved beyond wanting different bodies in my bed each night. I wanted just one, the right one. She was one of the few women I had ever met that did not immediately succumb to my desires. She was extremely strong willed and challenged me. I offered to take care of her financially, to live with me and have a real place in my life. She adamantly refused. Expensive presents were returned. She truly did not want, or need, anything from me.”

“Can you take me step by step through the timeline, of last night?”

“I returned to Los Angeles yesterday morning. She agreed to meet me for lunch. It was a startling departure. She took me back to her apartment, which I had never seen before. She told me she wanted to make a commitment to me, to have a real relationship. She said that she was ready to quit adult films and escorting and finish her degree. She had been readmitted to Yale; she was to begin classes in the fall.”

“She was going to Yale?”

Lucifer nodded. “She was a Ph.D. student in Classical Studies. Her specialty was Roman poetry. Catullus.” He met Dan’s eyes.

“How does a grad student become a porn star?”

“All Kayla told me was that something happened and she withdrew from her program and went back home, three years ago. She worked as a waitress in her hometown in bumble fuck Nebraska. Then she met some creep who paid for her to come to L.A. She made her first film and the rest was history.”

“But she was done with the business now and leaving L.A.?”

“Yes. She was making plans to wrap up her life out here. We made plans, together, for the future. I intended to find us a place to share, in New Haven. Kayla and I went to dinner at Nobu to celebrate, then back to my hotel room. I remember waking up in the night, disoriented. Someone grabbed my arm, slapped something on my chest. That’s the last thing I remember.”

“Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Kayla?”

Lucifer sighed. “I knew very little about her life. She would get phone calls, texts, and disappear. I believe that she was under the thumb of some kind of manager, procurer, for her sex work. She seemed frightened when I asked. She denied that she had a pimp, said she managed her own affairs. I know she was lying. But even when I pressed her, insisted to know the truth, she would not tell me anything.”

“You don’t have any information on that? Any idea where to start?”

“There must be something in her phone. She was absolutely addicted to it. She never went anywhere without it. It was always within reach, even during sex. The information must be in it.”

“The only phone recovered at the scene was yours. Is there anything else that you remember about last night, that was out of the ordinary?”

“Last night, when she told me of her plans, she said that she was free. That she had been under a dark star, but that was over.“

****

Dan stood in front of the screen in the briefing room. Behind him was a photo of a gorgeous woman. She was the embodiment of the California blonde: bronze skin; perfect teeth; large breasts. This woman could have been one of many young women in Los Angeles, trying to attain their big break.

“The victim’s name is Kayla Ann Frost. She was an actress. Her only IMDB listing was for _Wetsuit Strippers IV_ , two years ago. She's apparently been making ends meet by working in adult films and as an escort.”

He flashed a picture of Lucifer. The photo had been taken a year earlier, when he had been a consultant to the same team that sat in this room.

“The last person to see her alive was Lucifer Morningstar. According to his statement, they met at a private party. In reality, it's more than a party; it's a brothel. Lucifer received the invitation to attend anonymously.”

An image on the screen showed an email. CALENDAR GIRLS was emblazoned across the top. Underneath were portraits of twelve girls, each one of them beautiful, each labeled with a month of the year. Kayla Frost was June.

“Payment was handled by Bitcoin. The johns selected their “dates” in advance, via email. The location of the party was sent by text two hours before it began. We know nothing about the organizers, mob connections, nothing. Vice is digging, investigating as we speak.”

“Who is the lead on Vice?” asked Chloe.

“Tess Saunders. She’s whip smart. We were lucky to get her.” Dan continued. “So, the Vice side of this is pretty clear. Here is our homicide angle.” Another photo appeared. It was Kayla Frost, nude, lying in a bloodstained bed. She had a large hole in her chest. Next to her in bed, was Lucifer Morningstar, seemingly just as dead.

Ella stepped up and took over the presentation. “We know that Lucifer isn’t our killer. Both he and the victim were under the influence of a drug that we haven’t seen before.” She held up an evidence bag. “These dermal patches are the delivery system for a very potent drug.”

An image of two black patches came up on the screen. They were the size of a quarter and in the shape of black hearts.

“Kayla had one on her neck. Lucifer had four of them, two on his neck, two on his shoulders. It is, in part, a very strong barbiturate, in a dosage usually used to put patients under for neurosurgery. There are other elements as well, that we are trying to work out. Someone used only one patch on Kayla Frost, and it incapacitated her. She put up absolutely no resistance, even when someone cut open her rib cage. This drug, whatever it is, is highly dangerous. We need to find out what it is, who is making it, and shut them down.”

Dan joined her up front. “At four AM, someone called in a noise complaint about their room. The manager came up at four fifteen, used his master key to open the room. He found them, called 911. Our guys were on the scene within ten minutes.”

“So while Kayla was being killed, Lucifer was incapacitated?” asked Chloe.

“Technically, he was dead. The EMT’s called him at four fifty AM. He didn’t revive until Chloe arrived at the coroner’s office around seven this morning. He is one lucky son of a bitch.”

“He’s also really lucky that the killer didn’t carve his heart out the way they did Kayla’s,” Ella added.

“It doesn’t appear that the assailant attacked Lucifer at all. He had no wounds of any kind.”

“Did we find the weapon?” asked Chloe.

“No,” said Ella. “From the wounds and cut marks on the bone, it would appear that the killer used a serrated hunting knife to stab Kayla, some sort of small saw to open her chest cavity and then ripped out the heart. We’re running DNA now.”

“Does this fit the MO of anyone else in our active files?” Chloe wondered.

Dan shook his head. ”No. So, obviously, this investigation is going to require great teamwork with our other divisions, Vice and Narcotics. I’m the lead on this one.”

“What are the next steps?” asked Chloe.

“Ella’s re-running the chemical makeup of the drug, because the first two stabs at it were inconclusive. We need entree to the Calendar Girls party, to find out who is running the show. I’m working with Lucifer on setting that up. “

“Lucifer shouldn’t be involved. It’s a blatant conflict of interest,” said Chloe.

“I totally agree.” Dan nodded. “But Lucifer argued that his relationship with Kayla was a secret. No one knew they had been dating. He thinks he can use his relationship with the club to get some leads for us. He’s been included on the case as a civilian consultant.”

“It’s totally unacceptable,” said Chloe. “We can’t have a lose cannon on a murder investigation. Particularly when he’s not looking for justice; he’s looking for vengeance.”

“Lieutenant Monroe made it clear that Lucifer is to be allowed on this case.” Dan shrugged. “Look, Chloe, you won’t be working with Lucifer at all. He has made it clear that he will only work with me. He doesn’t even want to see you.”

There was a long uncomfortable silence. “Where is he?” asked Chloe.

“He’s at the Miyako Hotel. They moved him into another suite, since we are still processing the scene in his former room.”

Chloe turned and walked out. Dan followed her. “Chloe, wait.”

She turned to look at him. “What?”

“Leave him alone. Just work the case like he wasn’t part of it.”

“I’m just supposed to act like Lucifer didn’t disappear for a year?”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking you to do. I’m the lead on this case. Back off and focus on Kayla Frost, not on Lucifer.”

He left her standing in the hallway.

****

Dan and Lucifer met in the hotel lobby. Lucifer looked closely at the dermal patches. “I’ve never seen these before. What are they?”

“Apparently a very strong barbiturate. Ella’s trying to figure out what else is in it,” said Dan.

“I am very good friends with a chemist at Cal Tech, Roger Yeun. He’s rather a genius when it comes to these dermal patches. My partner and I hired him, to develop some patches for our events.”

“Your partner?”

“His name is Danny Kane. He is the founder of a network of electronic music festivals called TranceGaze. We met at a poker table in Vegas. He was going through a bad patch with his business; major bad publicity and legal problems due to some fatal overdoses at his raves. I offered my help. We made a deal. That’s where Roger Yeun comes in.”

“The chemist?”

“Right. So, the three of us came up with the TranceGaze dermal patches. Danny had legal issues he wanted to prevent; I had the money to bankroll development and was a willing guinea pig; and Roger made the magic happen. In the end, we created three different dermal patches. Each one is tailored for a different day of the festival. My personal favorite is the day two patch, Euphoria. It’s as if LSD and Molly had a very well behaved baby. Measured doses keep the intake at the same strength throughout the day. No bad trips; no freak-outs."

Dan frowned. “So you’re openly admitting to distributing illegal drugs?”

“On the contrary. We’re trying to avoid the use of illegal, possibly dangerous drugs at our events. Our proprietary drug cocktails are all legal. The DEA has raided us three times; nothing illicit has been found. We’ve filed harassment charges and still have some ongoing litigation.”

“So this is what you do now? You run music festivals?”

Lucifer nodded. “Yes. It’s all the great parts of what I did at Lux, but changing locations every few months makes it fresh and exciting. Danny deals with all the boring bits. Roger’s cocktails keep the party hopping.”

“Do you think Roger might know who made these?”

“Let’s go ask him.”

****

Roger Yeun’s lab was huge and immaculate. The chemist took the plastic evidence bag from Dan. “So, this is the patch that almost killed Lucifer?”

“Yes. He had four on his body."

The chemist looked over at his friend and frowned. “This must be some seriously bad shit.”

“Have you seen anything like these before?” Dan asked.

“Dermal patches are a dime a dozen. There are many legitimate reasons to use them within the pharmaceutical industry. But these are obviously not made for the medical industry, not looking like that. Can I use this patch to run an analysis?”

“Yes, the other three are in the chain of custody back in L.A. We are trying to analyze it ourselves, but our results came back inconclusive. All we know it is some kind of barbiturate.”

Roger prepped a sample from the patch and placed it into a large complex machine. “This definitely wasn’t made by a major pharmaceutical company. I haven’t seen anything like this moving through the club or rave scenes either. These are not recreational drugs. No one is going to slap on one of these for a good time.” The machine hummed and beeped. The monitor scrolled with the results of the analysis.

Roger read off the list of chemicals in the trace. “That’s quite a lineup. You’ve got heavy-duty sedatives, opiates, and paralytics. This thing was designed to incapacitate someone entirely. The victim would be helpless to fight back, against a physical attack or a sexual assault.”

“So this is some sick perp’s pet project?” asked Dan. “Like a super roofie?”

“Definitely. He, or she, must be a genius of a chemist, to nail this formula so precisely. I’d say we are dealing with a mad scientist here.”

****

Another body turned up the next day. It was Nicole Jansen, better known as a porn star named Tawny. The murder weapon and the removal of the heart echoed what they had seen with the Kayla Frost case. The two women also greatly resembled one another.

Ella processed the body in the victim’s apartment. Chloe and Dan walked through the scene.

“Where are we with this?” asked Chloe. “What are the next steps?”

“Lucifer arranged for us to attend the sex club tonight.” Dan pulled up the screen shot of Lucifer’s Calendar Girls email. “There’s a link between the two victims. Nicole was there, the night that Lucifer and Kayla met. She was working the club that same night.” He pointed to her portrait on the screen.

“I’d really love to know if there are any phone numbers in common between Kayla and Nicole,” said Chloe. “We need to find who they were both talking to.”

****

Dan and Lucifer arrived at the elegant penthouse suite that was the location for Calendar Girls. They met their dates for the evening, Misty and Janet, both buxom blondes. When they moved into a private bedroom, Dan showed his badge and told them why they were really there.

“How horrible!” Janet sobbed.

“Did the girls have anything in common, other than working here?”

“They used to share an apartment. But Kayla moved out and got her own place,” answered Janet.

“Any problems with unsatisfied customers?”

“There was one guy, a super short dude. He was here every week, and he slept with all of us. But after he was with Kayla, she became his favorite. He booked her every week after that. The dates are first come first served; I guess he was too late to select her one week. He showed up as my date and started screaming that he wanted Kayla. He grabbed her, shook her arm. He was banned. Tony, our bouncer, rearranged his face on the way out,” Janet explained.

“Do you know anything about that john?” asked Dan.

Janet nodded. “I went with him a few times. He said his name was Ryan.”

“That’s what he told me too,” said Misty.

The girls helped put together a description. Dan was looking for a Caucasian male, five foot six, blonde, mustache, with a scar on his right knee and a tattoo of a dragon on his lower back.

“Can you tell us anything about the owner of this place?” asked Lucifer.

One of the blondes shook her head. “It’s all done through the internet. We get paid in Bitcoin. We just show up and get to work.”

“How about when you were first hired?” asked Dan.

“Darkstar set up the meeting. I went to a fancy hotel in Burbank. A young guy met me, college age guy. I was blindfolded and went up to the room in an elevator. I had sex, as the audition.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t thrilled giving a freebie, but Darkstar told me I needed to go through with it.”

“Who is Darkstar?” asked Lucifer, his voice sharp.

“Our manager,” said Misty. “He makes the arrangements for club appearances like this, and my escort dates. I get texts from him.”

“Same with me.”

“Do the others girls here all work for him? Did Kayla?” asked Dan.

“Yes.”

“Can you give us information on him? How to find him?” asked Lucifer.

Misty frowned. “I don’t really want to piss him off. He has a super bad temper when he is angry.”

“Then why don’t you find another manager?” asked Dan.

“He had the best coke. I mean, really primo stuff. I get a bonus in coke, when he thinks I’ve done a good job. I got a kilo of coke as a signing bonus, when I committed to Calendar Girls. My contract is for a year," Misty explained.

“When do you meet up with Darkstar?” asked Dan.

“Every month I work a couples event at a resort in Palm Springs. Darkstar is always there. He meets me in my room on Saturday night.” She frowns. “He likes really rough sex. I have to cover up all the bruises when he’s done.”

“Do you have the date for the next event?”

“It's this coming weekend.” She gave Dan the hotel information.

Dan would be looking for Darkstar at the couples retreat. He was a big man, well over six feet, with some rather distinctive tattoos on his arms. He was early 40s, dark hair, mustache.

Dan and Lucifer left the club. “So, we have an angry john; a pimp with a temper; and a shady club owner to add to our list of suspects,” said Dan.

“Darkstar has to be our guy. Kayla was afraid of him. I can’t imagine why the club owner would want to hurt her,” said Lucifer.

“You said she was closing up shop. That would have affected his bottom line.”

****

Chloe slapped the report on the desk. “The penthouse where the Calendar Girl club holds their meetings is owned by Troy Bowler.”

“The Troy Bowler that used to play for the Raiders?” asked Dan.

“The same one. Apparently, since he was released from his contract, he has been keeping a low profile.”

“That would be a major change of pace.”

Troy Bowler had been one of the most well respected running backs in the NFL. Two years ago, a highly publicized drug bust had led to his being dumped from the team. He hadn’t been picked up by any other franchise since.

Dan and Chloe drove out to Malibu. Despite his fall from grace, the football star had held onto a prime beachfront home. The Pacific Ocean glittered from the wall of windows in the living room.

“Nice place you got here,” said Chloe.

“It’s my wife’s. Veronica, she’s a supermodel? Big deal back in the 90s.”

“Oh yeah, she was really hot.” Chloe glared at Dan. “Sorry, that was unprofessional.”

The football star smiled. “No problem, man. She’s still hot. So what can I do for you?”

Chloe explained why they were there. Troy furrowed his brow. “My old bachelor pad is being used for a...sex club?”

“That’s correct.” Dan showed him the hidden camera footage they had taken in the club, of sex acts and drug use.

“But that’s not possible. My son is living in the penthouse right now. He’s a sophomore at UCLA.”

“I think you should meet us downtown with your son.”

****

Chad Bowler was sweating bullets. His eyes shifted nervously from his lawyer to his father and back again.

His dad turned to him. “You just tell these officers that you had nothing to do with any of this.”

Chad swallowed, his eyes round. “I had nothing to do with this.”

“Our warrant permitted us to seize your computer,” Dan explained. “We are working through it now and we will find out all your dirty secrets."

“He’s only nineteen,” said his dad. “Kids make mistakes.”

“He’s a legal adult, and we believe he is looking at several felony charges already.”

Chad licked his lips. “I didn’t do anything. It was Davey’s idea. We just used the penthouse as a location to save on overhead.”

“Davey who?”

The boy remained silent.

“Davey?” His father said. “You mean Davey Sandoza, your best friend?”

His lawyer said, “Work with us on a plea bargain and Chad will tell you what you want to know.”

****

“Davey Sandoza’s father is Lou Sandoza, the owner of Neon Videos,” explained Dan. “They are an adult film company. Kayla and Nicole both made films for him. It looks like Davey helped himself to his dad’s list of contacts. He was the one who organized the meetings for Calendar Girls. We found videotapes of the girls having sex with Davey while blindfolded on Chad’s computer.”

“Nice.”

“We also found several kilos of cocaine in Davey’s dorm room, hidden under his bed.”

Chloe and Dan arrived at the offices of Neon Videos. They walked down a hallway filled with framed movie posters. In the executive suite, Dan held up his badge and handed an envelope to the administrative assistant.

“We have a warrant to search the premises for information in a homicide investigation.”

She picked up the phone and hit a button. “Mr. Waters, we have the police here with a search warrant.” She hung up. “Our chief counsel will be right here.”

“We don’t need him,” said Chloe. She pushed open Sandoza’s office door. It appeared to be empty. She walked inside the room.

A large man appeared in the doorway, wearing a suit. “I’m Warren Waters, the chief of counsel. What is the meaning of this?"

Chloe stepped around the desk. Lou Sandoza was facedown on the floor, a pool of blood around his head.

****

Half an hour later, Ella lifted up the corpse’s head and showed Chloe and Dan the fatal injury. “Sandoza’s throat was slit with a serrated hunting knife, likely the same weapon that killed Nicole and Kayla. He has a patch on his neck. However, he wasn’t mutilated. He’s all here.”

“Why the difference in MO?”

Ella shrugged. “This has no finesse at all. I think it’s a slash and run. The killer was in a hurry.”

****

The resort in Palm Springs was huge and sprawling. Palm trees and calm blue pools dotted the landscape, separating a collection of cabanas that surrounded a central main building.

Chloe and Dan walked into the central registration area. A heavyset woman in a black spandex bodysuit smiled cheerfully. “Are you here for the couples weekend?”

“We are! John and Jane Jones,” said Chloe.

“Perfect.” She handed them a pair of neon latex bracelets, emblazoned with the name of a brand of condoms. “The cocktail meet and greet is in full swing in the Sunset Room.” She winked, exaggeratedly. “Swing? Get it?”

Chloe laughed politely and they walked away.

“This is going to really suck,” said Dan. “It was bad enough to do this with Tess from Vice. But this is even more awkward. You’re the mother of my child, for God’s sake.” He wore a pair of black spandex pants, a black mesh tank and a metal collar around his throat. Ella had drawn careful lines of eyeliner under his eyes.

Chloe adjusted the mask on her face to see well through the eye holes. “Ella told Trixie we were going to a costume party.”

“Man, I wish.”

“I promised Ella that I wouldn’t take advantage of the situation to do something inappropriate with you,” said Chloe. “She said she didn’t care, as long as I gave you back afterwards.”

“Ha ha, Clo. I’m so glad you and Ella are chummy. It’s nothing at all like the two of you are conspiring against me.”

“I’m glad that the two of you are together. She’s fantastic. Trixie’s already won over, just for Ella’s brownies alone.”

They opened the doors and walked into the large function room. There were about two hundred people inside. Some couples were in fancy dress, with masks concealing their features. There were a handful of people in furry costumes. The majority was in black spandex or leather, accessorized with handcuffs or whips dangling from their belts.

“Are you wearing a Catwoman costume?” Chloe turned around to see Maze. She was unmasked, wearing a black leather top cut across her midriff and a pair of black leather shorts.

Chloe took her arm and they walked over to a corner. “Actually, it really is a Catwoman costume. It was in the back of my closet from the early 2000s. But that’s not important. What are you doing here?”

Maze lifted a finger and pointed. Chloe turned to see Lucifer, leaning against a wall, looking bored out of his mind. He looked a lot better than he had the last time she had seen him, in the ER. Of course, that was a pretty low bar.

“He can’t be here,” said Chloe. She walked across the room towards him.

Lucifer looked up, caught her eye and frowned. He came over, took her arm and led her right out of the room. “You cannot be here.”

“Let go of me,” she hissed.

He marched her very quickly into a deserted conference room. “I don’t want you here. Leave.”

“I’m part of a sting to catch a murderer,” she said. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near this operation.”

“Dan was supposed to be here with Officer Saunders from Vice!”

“Tess got into a car crash this morning. I’m the back up plan.”

Lucifer glared at her. “Your presence alone is going to fuck up everything, Chloe. Leave. Now.”

He turned to leave but she grabbed his arm. “What is your problem? We used to be partners. We used to work together every day. Now you cannot stand to be in the same room with me. Why?”

He shook off her hold on him. “Just go away.”

****

Chloe and Dan sat through a panel on _New Trends in Bondage_ and then another on _Lube: Can There Be Too Much of a Good Thing_? The program ended and they walked into the lobby.

“I never even want to hear the word lube again,” said Dan.

People were milling around, heading to their next event. Lucifer walked over to Chloe. “I thought I had made myself clear, detective. You shouldn’t be here.”

Dan’s phone chirped. He read the screen. “DNA came in. Darkstar is actually Warren Waters. We met him, Clo. He is the legal counsel at Neon Video, where the victims had made films. As Darkstar, he used those connections from Neon to add more money to his coffers as a pimp. He sent some very incriminating emails on his work computer. His cell phone records show calls to all of the victims. They are raiding his house as we speak. We’ve got a warrant to search his hotel room here, too. Palm Springs PD is on the way.”

“We just need to find him,” said Chloe.

“What does he look like? I’ll find him first,” growled Lucifer.

“Lucifer, you stay out of this. I’m going to the manager to wait for the warrant and open Waters’ room with his master key when I have it in hand. Don’t try to apprehend him, Chloe. Just wait.” Dan turned and left.

Chloe looked through the crowd of milling attendees. She spotted Waters and ran after him. He moved through the crowd and slipped through an open door. “Voyeurs Showcase” was posted on a big placard next to it.

She moved to follow. Lucifer grabbed her arm. “You cannot go in there, detective.”

She shook him off. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine.”

Chloe rushed through the door. Inside the huge ballroom was a large ring of what looked like portable storage units, all linked together. She saw Waters disappear through a door into one and went to follow.

Lucifer grabbed her arm again. “Detective, leave! Now!”

“Let me do my job!” She pushed him away and grabbed the door handle. It was locked. She moved to the next door, pulled it open, and went in.

She was in a small, red velvet room. There was an ornate curtain at the front, like an old time movie theater. A round bed was placed in the middle of the room, covered with a black velvet cover. A little table off to one side held a glass bowl filled with condoms.

She heard an audible click. She turned around and there was Lucifer. She opened her mouth and he moved forward and kissed her. Hard. His hands clenched her shoulders and his tongue swept inside her mouth.

She went to push him away, but he held her close. “We are being watched and listened to, right now,” he whispered. “This is a live sex show. We are all locked in here until the foreplay is over. Then the doors open and it’s a full-on orgy, Chloe.” He ran his tongue along her jaw and kissed her neck.

“Oh shit,” she whispered.

“I wish, just one of these days, you would bloody listen to me.” He unzipped the front of her cat suit. “And, of course, you’re wearing a wire. Fucking fantastic. You have to take it off.”

“No,” she hissed. “Backup is on the way right now!”

“If Waters sees your wire, you will blow your cover entirely. He just might take off, as soon as those doors open. You don’t know if Waters is armed, if he’s got more of those patches or a weapon. Whoever he’s got in his room with him, she’ll become his hostage.”

She hissed through her teeth, annoyed. “Dan, I’m going radio silent.” Chloe pulled the earpiece out and grabbed a handful of Lucifer’s ass. As she fondled him, she dropped the device into his pocket.

Lucifer continued to kiss her neck and shoulders. “I’m going to kiss my way down your body while I pull up this fucking wire, okay?”

“Okay.”

His tongue moved down her body as he sucked and licked. Chloe made loud noises of enjoyment to conceal the sounds of the tape ripping off her body.

He slid the mass of wire and tape into his pocket. “Wouldn’t have pegged you as a screamer, love.” His mouth moved over hers. They kissed, hard.

“When we get out of here, I am going to punch you so hard, right in the face.” Chloe bit his earlobe, as hard as she could.

“I am going to turn you over my knee and give you a good spanking for never, ever listening to me, you bossy bitch.” He bit her back, right on the neck, and she gasped.

The noise of cranking metal filled the room. In front of them, the curtain rose. It revealed a large glass window. They were looking into an illuminated circle of rooms. The other couples were kissing, touching each other, and taking off their clothes.

Lucifer pulled down the zipper of her cat suit. “Is there any way out of this situation that does not involve getting naked?” asked Chloe.

“No.” Lucifer pulled the cat suit off her legs, leaving her clad in a black bra and underwear. He stripped off his clothes and lay on top of her on the bed. She tried to pull away, but he pulled her close. “The more I am covering you, the less of your body they will actually see.”

“So, you don’t believe in underwear?” She looked down at his naked body.

“I find they slow things down.” He pulled her close, moving her body to minimize the contact between her and his naked genitalia.

“Now every time I see you, I’ll think of you freeballing it in there. Your sweaty junk, flopping around in those fancy designer suits. I hope you dry clean your clothes a lot.”

He kissed her again, his tongue swirling inside her mouth. “So every time you see me after this, you’ll be thinking of my cock. Good to know.” She reached down with one hand and slapped his ass. He hissed. “Ah, now you’re getting into the spirit of the enterprise.”

“How long do we have to keep this up?”

“Fifteen minutes, then the doors unlock and the orgy begins.”

“What are we supposed to do for fifteen minutes?”

“Chloe, usually fifteen minutes goes by in a flash. With you, this is going to feel like an eternity.” He put one hand on her ass and pulled her in closer. She moved her mouth over his, kissing him, feeling him.

The kissing deepened, became more intense. Chloe grew wet between the legs. She felt his erection push against her. “You’re hard, Lucifer.”

“I’m sorry. I was trying to think of other things. Things other than: how good you feel; how delicious you are; and how much I really, really want to fuck you right now. All of which I deeply apologize for.”

“No apologies. This is torture. I want you too. You seriously turn me on. You always did.” Chloe pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. He grabbed her ass and fully pressed his erection against her. They ground against each other, his hard cock rubbing against the sheer material of her panties. It felt good, really good, too good. They moved against each other, breathing hard. She came, crying out his name.

“Let me touch you,” he said huskily. “Just a little. Just this once.”

They kissed again and she moved his hand between her legs. He pushed her panties aside and slid his fingers inside her. She surged against him, moving. “Oh God. Yes, please.”

In minutes she was coming, shaking with the force of her orgasm. She looked up at him, his eyes dark, his jaw set. His cock was hard, huge. “What do you want, Lucifer?”

“You. Now.”

She reached over and grabbed a condom. She rolled it down his length as he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He ripped off her underwear and slid inside her.

It was not pretty. It was raw and urgent, animalistic in its need. Chloe lost track of how many times she came. Lucifer pumped inside her with vigor, growling and moaning as he bit her neck, her shoulder. She grabbed his head in her hands and kissed him. He plundered her mouth, his kiss deep and desperate.

“I’ve wanted this for years,” she whispered in his ear. She closed her teeth around his earlobe.

He came, explosively, crying out and thrusting like mad as he shuddered. He calmed, relaxed, and pulled out of her body. With a toss, he threw the used condom into the wastebasket. He curled around her again, his body over hers. He was a shield for her, keeping her safe. He rested his forehead against hers. For a long moment, they just watched each other, breathing.

Then the doors clicked open. Chloe pushed him off and slid on her cat suit.

“Wait, Chloe!” But she was already out the door.

She pushed through the crowd. She found Waters, in a black leather vest and nothing else, kissing a chubby young redhead. She grabbed him by one arm and turned him around. “Warren Waters, you are under arrest for the murders of Nicole Jansen and Kayla Frost.”

He punched her, hard, in the jaw, and turned and ran.

She blinked, recovered and chased him. She heard Lucifer right behind her. “Dan, she is going after him!" He must be yelling into her earpiece. Waters opened the door for the stairwell and ran into it. She chased him up a flight of stairs. Chloe could hear Lucifer panting, right behind her. Waters pushed open a doorway and ran into the corridor. He ran down and threw himself into an open elevator. Chloe threw herself in after him, the doors closing behind her. Chloe could hear Lucifer screaming her name as the elevator ascended.

*******

Lucifer yelled into Chloe’s earpiece. “Chloe’s with Waters. They’re in an elevator, going up.”

“He may be headed to his room. 408. But don’t go there, Lucifer. We have a team headed there right now.”

Lucifer ran as fast as he could down the hallway.

******

Chloe fought with Waters. It was tight quarters in the elevator. She landed a few punches; he landed a few more. Then he reached out, pulled down her zipper, and slapped something on her chest.

She went down like a rock. She couldn’t move. She was paralyzed.

He kicked her, hard, in the side. She couldn’t feel it.

The elevator doors opened. He scooped her up and carried her in his arms. There was no one else in sight. He pulled out a key, opened the door to a hotel room and stepped inside. He threw her down on the bed. With one hand, he picked up a large hunting knife. There were several laid out on the top of the dresser. Next to the knives was a large glass jar, filled with human hearts. He picked up a pistol and set it next to her head.

Chloe knew that she was going to die. She couldn’t move. She could think and see and understand everything, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t scream.

Waters used the blade of his knife to cut open the front of her vinyl cat suit. She watched as the material parted under his knife. A thin line of blood appeared where his knife had cut her skin.

The door to the room burst inwards. Shards of wood filled the air. Lucifer advanced on the murderer.

Waters stabbed Chloe in the chest with the knife. She couldn’t move. It didn’t even hurt. All she could do was watch the blood pouring from her wound.

Waters grabbed the pistol, spun and shot Lucifer in the chest. Two, three, shots rang out. Lucifer’s body jerked, but he didn’t stop.

Instead, he turned into a horrible monster. He was the devil incarnate. His eyes were black; his skin was red. As he opened his mouth with a mighty roar, he reached out and twisted Warren Waters’ neck. Chloe heard the snap and Lucifer tossed the lifeless body onto the ground.

He stepped over the corpse like it was nothing and walked over to the bed. He tore the black patch off Chloe’s chest. “Can you hear me?”

Chloe couldn’t respond in any way.

He bent down and kissed her forehead. “My brave detective. Just hold on.” He picked Chloe up into his arms and walked to the hallway.

At the end of the corridor, Dan ran out of the elevator. “Officer down! Officer down!” he yelled into his radio.

****

Chloe lay in her hospital bed. Ella sat next to the bed. Trixie was asleep, tucked under Chloe's right arm, pressed against her side.

“She’s going to pull your stitches out, putting weight on you like that,” said Dan.

“I still can’t feel anything. My chest is completely numb.”

“Well, it’s probably better if you don’t open yourself back up.” Dan bent and picked up his sleeping daughter.

“Oh, don’t go,” said Chloe.

“We’ll be back in the morning,” said Ella. “I promise.”

“Bring Krispy Kremes,” said Chloe. “Jelly filled. The hospital food sucks.”

She was halfway through an episode of _Top Chef_ on her tablet when there was a knock at the door. Lucifer held a glass vase of red tulips in one hand.

“I did not expect to see you,” she said.

“I wasn’t sure I would be here.” Lucifer placed the vase among some other floral arrangements. He sat down next to her and took her hand.

“Please don’t insult my intelligence by lying anymore. I know what I saw. I know what you truly are,” said Chloe.

“I never did lie. You just chose not to believe me.”

“That’s true.” She ran her thumb over his fingers. “Thank you for saving my life. Twice now.”

“Three times, but who’s counting?” He smiled at her.

She tightened her fingers on his. “So, what kind of deals do people usually make with you?”

“Fame, fortune, sex. The usual.”

“Does anyone ever sell their soul for something mundane? Like a pizza?”

He laughed. “I’ve told you, Chloe, I don’t traffic in souls. People just owe me a favor.”

She looked at him thoughtfully. “Which face is real, Lucifer? The devil’s face or the handsome one?” She reached out and touched the dimple in his chin.

“You don’t find my devil’s face handsome?”

“Show me again.”

He complied. She sat there for a long time. His eyes were pools of black. His skin was raw, red. “Are you okay?” he asked. “People find this highly disturbing. Terrifying, even.”

“I’m not terrified; I’m curious. I don’t think you really have two faces at all.” She reached out and ran her fingers along his red, mottled skin. “Same eyebrows. Same dimple. It’s just an illusion, isn’t it? You don’t put a mask on. You just take the illusion away.”

“That is precisely how it works. You are a clever woman, detective.”

“Can you take the illusion away, all the time? I want to know what’s real. Even if it isn’t as nice as the illusion, the truth is always best.”

“If you wish,” he agreed.

She leaned forward and kissed him. He froze at her touch. She pulled away. “I’m sorry. Too much has happened and we can’t just-"

He pulled her close and kissed her. It started off lightly, gently and then deepened. Chloe held tightly onto his shoulders as the embrace went on and on.

Finally he ended the kiss. “I can’t believe you want me, even seeing, knowing what I truly am."

“It’s still you, no matter what face you wear. No matter what label you use.”

He pulled away. “I should let you get some rest.”

She grabbed his hand. “The last time I was in a hospital bed, you walked out of my life and never came back. I still want to know why.”

“When you have recovered, Chloe, I will tell you everything. I promise you.”

*******

Chloe and Lucifer sat at an elegant table for two together. The view from the balcony overlooked the nighttime lights of L.A. Chloe had an untouched glass of red wine at her elbow.

“So, what does it all mean? That God wanted me to exist?”

Lucifer shrugged. “I don’t know. A year later, I still don’t have any of the answers.”

“I wish I could see the future. It would be nice to use a crystal ball, a pack of tarot cards maybe, to understand what happens next.”

“It’s not that simple. My Father doesn’t believe in making things easy for me. His plans are hard to detect.”

“Maybe his plan is finished. Your weakness in my presence, that didn’t happen this time. Waters didn’t hurt you at all.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Do you feel regret? For killing him?”

“No, and I never will. He killed the innocent. He nearly added you to his body count. My conscience is clear.”

She leaned forward. “Do you really have a conscience? I wouldn’t think the devil would need one.”

“I do have a conscience. It’s a real nuisance sometimes.” He took a sip of wine. “I didn’t always have a conscience. Loving you, that seemed to open me up. I changed, developed more empathy, and could better understand the feelings of others. I even showed some restraint, sometimes. Not my usual style at all.”

“So, loving me. Is that past tense, present tense? Future tense?”

“All of the above.” He kissed her hand. “I could leave you, but I couldn’t leave your love behind. As soon as I saw you again, I wanted to be with you. I never stopped loving you, Chloe.”

“But you wanted to stop loving me.”

“More than I have ever wanted anything. I am the Lord of Illusion, and I still don’t know if what I feel is an illusion or not. It is impossible to tell.”

“So, nothing has really changed between us. You still don’t trust your feelings. You think it’s a trick, a manipulation of your father’s.”

“I do. The situation is the same. The same reasons that I left before still apply.” He looked at her for a long moment. “I don’t want to leave you, but I must. I simply cannot stay, waiting for the hammer to fall and Dad’s plan to be revealed. I can’t let him have that kind of control over me.”

“I understand that you need to be free, to be in charge of your destiny.” She smiled sadly. “But I wish you could stay with me.”

“I do wish, my dear detective, that things were different.“

Chloe took a deep sip of her wine. “So, shall we have one last night to remember before you go? Make love without an audience for the first time?”

“Don’t you think that having just one night together will hurt you more than just parting ways now?”

“No, I think it will be something I will always treasure. We can be together, with no illusions, for the first time." Chloe lifted her glass of wine. "Here’s to no regrets.”

Lucifer clinked his glass against hers. “No regrets.”

*****

A few weeks later, Chloe arrived home to find a postcard in the mail. On the front was a photo of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. On the back was a note: _I regret nothing_. _I regret everything_.

 

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> I love a happily ever after, but I couldn't get this story out of my head.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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